Published at Saturday, September 15th, 2018 - 17:19:43 PM. Fireplace. By Andrea Wichterle.

Outdoors a ventless gas log cannot deplete oxygen or fill your home with gas but a different set of issues ensues. Oxygen Sensors can get pollen and dust in them and wind can confuse the pilot assembly’s ability to provide continuous heat to the thermocouple. The design of the fireplace and the placement of the logs should be discussed with a professional to minimize these possibilities. These issues do not risk the safety of your family but if the thermocouple thinks the pilot is out because the wind is directing the flame in another direction, your gas log burner will turn itself off. An experienced installer will manipulate the mounting bracket to work around wind issues and position the Oxygen Depletion Sensors so they do not get clogged with pollen and dust.

Isn’t it funny how small things like that can take you back to your childhood when it was much simpler times? The thing is that wasn’t the only fireplace in the house. My father loved them and it grew on me too. We had a brick fireplace in the living room. The wall was brick and the fireplace matched. The other walls were wood and I could sit in that room for hours just looking out the window or reading a book. It was like the fireplace made all the difference in the world. A room without a fireplace was boring. A room with a fireplace came to life and invited you into it. Hot cocoa and picture puzzles are memories associated with the fireplace in the living room. But, we’ve kind of grown up a bit in our design of the fireplace. The other day, I helped a friend decide on a pyramid shaped fireplace. It sits on a base that is about a foot high and three feet wide by three feet long. The pyramid has four sides so it will sit square on the base. That’s a nice design.